Breathe
by doc-trigger
Summary: Andros just wants Zhane to breathe. Response to Fanfiction Prompts Challenge. One-Shot


Hey everyone! This story was done in response to the Fanfiction Prompts Challenge on Power Rangers United. This is the first response, and as of right now, there are two more that are completed and will be posted at a later date, and later, after I've finished, the rest of the prompts responses.

Prompt: Breathe

Disclaimer: I do not, and sadly never will, own Power Rangers. It is the property of Disney, and as I'm only borrowing it's characters, I will be making no profit off this fic.

Summary: Andros just wants Zhane to breathe.

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**Breathe**

Everything stood still, which seemed impossible, since only moments ago, there had been the rush of adrenaline and the urgency of keeping himself and everybody else alive. But, now, in this moment as he stared at the pile of rubble where he had stood only moments ago, time was frozen in place. He hardly registered that he wasn't even standing until his angry fists, fueled by the sudden loss, contacted with hard ground. And then it happened; like magic in this hopeless situation, the gloved hand which poked out through the rubble moved. It was more of a twitch really, but it was the best thing that Andros had seen in months of fighting.

He rushed to his feet in his haste to clear the rubble that covered his best friend. He was alive, and Andros would be damned if he allowed Zhane do die without putting up a fight. With more strength than he'd had in his life, Andros threw slabs of concrete and sheets of mettle out of the way, with every piece gone revealing more and more of his silver clad friend who hadn't de-morphed. But he wasn't about to think about that now; his only thought was getting Zhane out of the rubble.

Before he even realized it, he had help in his efforts. Soldiers were digging along side him, silently doing whatever they could to save the man who had been protecting them. Andros's breath hitched when he uncovered his friend's chest and couldn't see the rise and fall that indicated life. He dug faster until he'd exposed the neck and head, quickly checking for a pulse and relieved beyond words when it was there. Slow and weak, but there. The rest was simple. A few more slabs had the Silver Ranger fully exposed, and without a word, because Andros was hardly in the state of mind to speak, he lifted his best friend onto his shoulder and started the short walk to the megaship. He hardly even noticed the lines formed around him or the silence that seemed to have engulfed the city. The only thing he could think of was getting Zhane into the infirmary.

It was as if time was playing tricks on him, as it seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time. The journey to the megaship's infirmary had seemed to take forever, but almost in a blink of an eye, he was there and laying Zhane down on the examination table. Andros hooked up the monitors to the still ranger-clad and prone form of his best friend, watching the readings carefully. He didn't dare turn off Zhane's morph, although that was one of the first things he wanted to do. He wanted to see his friend's face, and view the damage for himself, but he knew the morph would help heal him faster. At some point, although for the life of him he didn't realize when, he himself had de-morphed.

And then it happened. The heart monitors, which had seconds ago had a steady, if not strong, reading, went flat. The shrill noise indicating loss of life rang through Andros's ears, and in a split second, he found himself nearly on top of Zhane, hands over his chest performing CPR.

_Breath. Damnit Zhane, just breath! _ Nothing. The flat line continued, uncaring for the tears that now poured down the red ranger's face.

He pumped harder, putting as much force behind each compression as he could. _Breath! Please Zhane, breath!_

Tears leaked from his eyes and onto his shirt, as well as the silver of Zhane's suit. A strangled sob tore through Andros's throat as, after over a minute of pumping and begging, the unrelenting screech of the flat line continued.

Outraged at the injustice of the loss, he cried out, his dirt covered face now lined with clean streaks. "JUST BREATH DAMNIT!" He slammed his fist onto Zhane's unmoving chest in a last effort, as well as an outlet for his overwhelmed emotions. Energy now spent, he leaned against the wall and slid to the ground as sobs racked his body. So consumed with grief, it took him longer than it should have to realize that the shrill sound that indicated a lack of heartbeat had stopped and been replaced with the much more comforting sound of the steady and slow beeping it had started with.

He couldn't believe it, and standing up on shaky legs, he felt for a pulse through the suite's protective material. When he found it, his eyes misted over even more, although this time from joy. The rest of what happened was a blur of activity. After analyzing the damage and getting D.E.C.A.'s injury and assessment report, the decision to put Zhane into hyper sleep seemed to be the only option. Every second of getting Zhane situated was filled with hopes and prayers for a fast and full recovery. It was heart breaking when nothing Andros did seemed to phase the prone form that was his best friend. When he was done and stood over the hyper sleep chamber, checking everything over if only to keep himself idle, Andros wondered if he himself would be able to breathe until Zhane was truly safe.

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Soo...I hope you all enjoyed that, and the other fics will be posted soon. Reviews and criticism are always appreciated!


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